Cigarette container and dispenser



Sept. 30 I924. 1,509,893

M. A. ZIEME CIGARETTE CONTQINER AND DISPENSER Filed June 25; 1923 'fi I IIM'IHII l ll l I 1] II n, I l'"; [I "M l I'l I INVENTOI? Mm? 771v fiZ/EME.

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Patented Sept. 30, 1924.

UNITED STATES MARTIN A. ZIEME, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

CIGARETTE CONTAINER AND DISPENSER.

Application filed June 25,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN A. ZIEME, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gigarette Containers and Dispensers; and I do hereby declare the following to be'a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a. container particularly adapted to carry cigarettes. Cigarettes and similar smoking articles are now widely used and most smokers prefer to carry a supply with them and to have a convenient receptacle for carrying and protecting the cigarettes from which they may readily be removed.

It is an object of this invention to provide a container preferably of flat substantially rectangular form adapted to contain the cigarettes and having means for readily dispensing a cigarette therefrom.

It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide such. a container having a pocket extending along one side thereof for receiving a single cigarette, together with means insuring that only one cigarette will be fed to the pocket and with convenient means for removal of said cigarette.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views, and in which,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the device, portions thereof being shown invertical section;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the arrows; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, as indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, the container is shown comprising the side walls 1 and 2 connected by a curved substantially semicylindrical end wall 3 and having a fiat bottom wall 4. The container is adapted to receive a lid 5 at one end extending thereover and having a flat top. At the 1923. Serial no. 647,535.

end of the container opposite the end 3 a semi-cylindrical pocket or recess 6 is formed of a size conveniently to receive one of the articles or cigarettes carriedin the container and one side of said pocket is offset slightly from the side 2 of the container,

4, which slide is adapted to extend over an opening 11 formed in the bottom of pocket 6, the end of said slide being semicircular to correspond with the wall of said pocket. An operating handle 12 is conveniently formed in the shape of a clip bent from a strip of material formed into a loop and having its ends passing through the slot 9 and the slide 10 and bent over on the inside of the latter, the slide thus being guidedin its movement by the member 12 moving in the slot 9.

In operation, the cigarettes are removed from the usual paper cartons and placed in the container, as shown at a in Fig. 1. The container is preferably made of a Width adapted to contain two rows of cigarettes. When it is desired to remove the cigarettes from the container the same is held in one hand and given aslight shake or jerk with the pocket 6 disposed at the bottom thereof. The lowermost cigarette in the row against the wall 2 will be guided into the pocket by the inclined portion 7 onsaid wall. The lowermost cigarette in the row adjacent the wall 1 will be received in the convex recess 8 and supported therein so that it will have no tendency to move into or toward the pocketti'. The row of cigarettes adjacent the wall 1 being thus supported there is no possibility of the cigarettes j amming by the lowermost cigarettes in each row moving toward the pocket. It has hitherto been proposed to provide a pocket at one side of a cigarette container but owing to the fact that the approaches from both sides of the pocket were the same, cigarettes would move from opposite directions toward the pocket and thus jam and not move thereinto. By the provision of the portion 7 of wall 2 and the concave recess 8 of the wall 1 this objection is overcome. After the cigarette has entered the pocket 6 the slide 10 is moved back by pressing on handle 12 with one finger and the container tilted so that the cigarette in the pocket slides out through the opening 11. The removal or dispensing of one cigarette is thus easily and conveniently accomplished. After the cigarette is removed the slide 10 is again closed and the container returned to the pocket of the user. Should the slide 9 become unduly loose through wear so as not 'to" be frictionally held in closed position, a

nail or other object can be placed through the loop 12 and the sides of the clip spread so as toengage the sides of slot 9. The slide will then fric-tionally be held in its closed or open position. The container is of flat convenient form to be carried in the pocket and forms a simple and efficient container and dispensing means for cigarettes. The device has been amply demonstrated in actual practice and found to be very successful and efficient. The cigarettes, of course, will be placed in the container by removing the lid 5.

From the above description it is seen that applicant has provided a very simple and efficient container and dispensing means for cigarettes and one that can be inexpensively and very dur-ably made. The container preferably will be made of sheet metal and the same can be plated or ornamented as desired.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details and proportions of the device without departing "from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above stated and such as shown and described and set forth in the appended claims. 7

\Vhat is claimed is:

1. A flat container for cigarettes having a peripheral wall with parallel sides spaced to accommodate two rows of cigarettes parallel thereto, said wall at one end of said peripl'iery being curved to form two parallel semicylindrical pockets one adjacent one side wall and one adjacent the other side wall, one of said pockets being deeper than the other and adapted to receive a cigarette substantially below the bottom of the other, the shallower pocket preventing cigarettes in one row from moving into the deep pocket.

2. A container for cigarettes or similar articles comprising a flat box of sheet material, said box having a width adapted to hold two rows of cigarettes, a pocket extending along one end of said box parallel to which the cigarettes are disposed, said pocket being adapted to receive the lowermost cigarette from one row, and the wall of said box being along side of said pocket reversely curved to form a recess to support the other row of cigarettes and prevent the bottom one therein moving toward or into said pocket said recess being formed entirely by said wall.

A container for cigarettes or similar articles comprising a fiat box of sheet material, said box having a width adapted to hold two rows of cigarettes, a semi-cylindrical pocket extending along one end of said box and having one side thereof ofllsetfrom one side wall of said box to form an inclined portion in said wall directed toward said pocket and the opposite side wall of said box having a concave recess therein adjacent said pocket, said container having an opening therein at one end of said pocket, a slide movable in said box to cover and uncover said opening, and means projecting at the bottom of said box for operating said slide.

4. A containing and dispensing device for cigarettes comprising a flat receptacle having substantially parallel walls and of suilic ient width to hold two rows of cigarettes, the wall of said receptacle being curved at one end to form a shallow semi-cylindrical recess adjacent one side wall adapted to hold the lowermost cigarette in one row and a deeper trough-like recess having substantially straight sides and a semi-cylindrical bot-tom adjacent the other side wall, said latter recess being adapted to receive the lowermost cigarette in the other row, said latter sidehaving a short portion inclined toward said latter recess.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

MARTIN A. ZIEME. 

